The 14th East African Community (EAC) Inter-Parliamentary Games closed in Mombasa City, Kenya with Team Uganda taking accolades in many of the sports disciplines.
In a colourful closing ceremony held at the Pride Inn Paradise Hotel, Uganda’s legislators celebrated winning the football; netball; and basketball trophies for both the men and ladies and taking the first position in golf for the ladies.
Uganda also dominated the athletics events scooping several medals along the way. The team also won the tug of war for the men and women respectively.
The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, reiterated his earlier call of using sports to promote the East African Community federation.
“These games have proven yet again that sports serve not only as a platform for competition but as a powerful tool for uniting nations, fostering friendship and promoting mutual respect,” Tayebwa said.
The Deputy Speaker who led the men’s golf team added the success of the games speaks volumes about the spirit of unity, collaboration and camaraderie.
“The games have been more than just competition; they have been about connections between colleagues, communities and the friendships forged, lessons learned and the shared experiences will undoubtedly strengthen the bond that tie our East African community together,” he said adding that, ‘let these games remind us of the potential we unlock when we come together not to just celebrate our diversity but pursue our common goals as East Africa’.
The Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, Moses Wetangula, called on the legislators from the different partner states to work toward ensuring the success of the East African Federation.
He said the parliaments are responsible for passing and implementation of budgets, the oversight and most importantly the ratification of international protocols that are all key in the implementation and success of the federation.
“If you go to our jails in this region, you will find Ugandans jailed, if you go to Uganda, you will find Kenyans jailed for illegal fishing in Migingo Island, same in Rwanda, so what is the purpose of the protocol on free movement of people and services?” he wondered.
Wetangula added that the economies of the EAC region boast of a population of 500 million people.
“Nobody can take us for granted, nobody can ignore us and like Ali Mazrui, the great professor from Mombasa said, equity among people depends on who owns what but equity among nations depends on who produces what. What we produce as East Africa is what will put us on the scale with Europe, America, Asia and our produce will be able to make East Africa a place to go and must go for everybody,” he added.
The games that are rotational among the eight EAC states, will next be held in Bujumbura, Burundi in December 2025.
